PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer
Novenber 13, 2003
Would you want a laptop that displays only two colors, gray and black? What about one that can't play MP3 music files or run the latest games?
Probably not. But you might want to give one to somebody else, like your kids or employees.
The Dana from Alphasmart Inc., a small company in Los Gatos, Calif., is a very simple, rugged computer that runs the Palm operating system, otherwise used mostly for handheld organizers.
It's essentially a nice, big, laptop-type keyboard with a 2-by-7.5-inch monochrome screen.
Compared to today's laptops, the Dana is quite limited. You can run a word processor, do spreadsheets, read electronic books and run any of the thousands of programs that enthusiasts have written for the Palm system. You can transfer data to PCs and Macs, and print out what you've written on some printers.
The latest Dana model can also connect to wireless networks using the Wi-Fi standard, but I didn't find it worth the trouble. I had some problems connecting, and even when the connection worked, the Internet browser was slow and clunky.
However, the Dana has several features that will make some people want to ditch their laptops:
-It weighs just 2 pounds.
-It runs more than 25 hours on the rechargeable battery pack. If it runs out, you can replace it with three AA batteries.
-There is very little that can break. It doesn't have the clamshell design and vulnerable hinges and latches of most laptops. It stores files in solid-state memory, so it doesn't have a hard drive, or any other moving parts.
-The basic model lists for $379 and the wireless version $429.
Yet the Dana's greatest strength may be what it doesn't do. You can't play music. You can play a few games, but they won't be very graphic or entertaining. You can surf for pornography on the wireless version, but it won't look very good on the gray-and-black screen. Forget about DVDs.
No wonder, then, that the main market for the Dana is K-12 schools, and secondarily, companies that need their employees to enter data on the go. It's simply not that great for goofing off.
It's hard to recommend a Dana for college students or others old enough to buy their own computer. But if you're buying for someone else, and want to make sure that someone stays focused, it's a neat little thing.
On the Net:
http://www.alphasmart.com
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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